In the aftermath of House Republicans’ unsuccessful attempt to impeach Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday, two firm conservative Texas representatives opposed former President Donald Trump’s assertions that managing the US-Mexico border is straightforward.
Failed Impeachment
Post the narrow 214-216 defeat in the impeachment vote, Rep. Chip Roy criticized both the GOP and Trump, pointing to their probable role in thwarting the Senate’s new bipartisan immigration bill, which Trump has openly claimed responsibility for obstructing.
Trump’s Border Security Claims
“We’re not going to just pass the buck and say that, ‘Oh, any president could walk in and secure the border,'” Roy remarked.
“I saw former President Trump make that allegation earlier today on one of his social media posts. ‘All the president has to do is declare the borders closed and it’s closed.’ Well, with all due respect, that didn’t happen in 2017, 18, 19, and 20. There were millions of people who came into the United States during those four years.”
Continued Push for Impeachment
Despite the significant setback of not impeaching Secretary Mayorkas on Tuesday, House Republicans, undeterred, plan to revisit the vote.
Speaker Mike Johnson’s spokesman, Raj Shah, declared on X, “House Republicans fully intend to bring Articles of Impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas back to the floor when we have the votes for passage.”
The Necessity of a Border Bill
Republicans opposing the Senate’s border security talks, including former President Donald Trump, argue that legislative action isn’t needed to address the migrant crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
However, this stance marks a shift from their previous views.
GOP’s Changing Views
Speaker Mike Johnson is now opposing the Senate’s proposed bill, arguing for President Joe Biden to use executive actions to bring back Trump-era measures.
This contradicts Johnson’s previous actions, where his House passed a stringent border bill used for his negotiation stance.
Evolving Perspective
Even conservative GOP senators, who previously championed legislative solutions for border issues, have shifted their position.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), for instance, recently declared on Fox, “we don’t need a border bill,” diverging from his longstanding call for Congress to amend immigration loopholes.
The Rhetoric vs. Reality
Trump, too, recently stated on Truth Social that “a border bill is not necessary to stop” to curb migrant influx, claiming he managed without one during his tenure.
Nevertheless, during his presidency, Trump frequently urged Congress to enact border security laws and criticized the existing asylum system as “archaic” and “incompetent.”
GOP’s Deal Under Fire from Within
In a Tuesday night interview, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Republican from the Houston area, criticized his GOP House colleagues for undermining the recent Senate immigration deal.
He questioned the necessity of the party’s move to draft and file a separate immigration bill in May 2023.
Republicans’ Immigration Paradox
“I understand some Republicans are saying we don’t need any changes to law,” Crenshaw noted.
“Then why did we write HR 2? Why did we do that?”
Simplified Border Views
Mirroring Roy’s earlier sentiment, Crenshaw highlighted the complexity of border security, contrary to the oversimplified portrayal by Trump and other Republican lawmakers.
Challenging Trump
“Why didn’t Trump just shut down the border if you just think we don’t need any changes to law?” Crenshaw questioned.
“He couldn’t. He had to make a deal with Mexico, and he did a great job doing that, but he had to rely on literally international agreements to get it under control.”
A Reality Check
According to the conservative Cato Institute’s 2021 analysis, while Trump’s administration significantly reduced legal immigration, his efforts to stop illegal immigration through a border wall and other strategies proved ineffective.
GOP’s Resistance to Proposal
The conservative camp will likely claim that the proposed bill falls short in adequately securing the border. President Biden could, in theory, revert to some Trump-era border policies.
However, the GOP’s shift in rhetoric is significant as Republican hardliners emphasize that their resistance to the Senate proposal is not merely to support Trump.
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